April Fool's giveaway and more blind bags!

 Greetings, readers! Well, yesterday's April Fool's joke has been revealed as a joke (not surprising), but in an unexpected twist, Breyer is giving away three test models based on yesterday's joke model! 

They did clarify on Facebook that the joke model is in fact real (vindication!), so I hope it shows up in the Breyerfest silent auction, because I want to see that thing in person. Anyway, the entry period ends tomorrow night, so get your entries in if you want one! I don't collect Nikolas, but entered anyway for trade fodder. Good luck to everyone entering! 

In other news, we were a bit confused this morning when the Pal test models were revealed, because there was a mystery Stablemate in the background. 

People wondered what it was, and speculated all kinds of things, but we didn't have to wait too long - it turned out to be part of another set of April Fool's blind bags! 

I'm a bit confused that they produced these, considering the ones from last year seem to have gone over like a lead balloon (they're still available on the website). And of course they used the hugely popular mini Georg, so he's the only one anyone is going to want afterwards. At least they used the G1 Arabian Mare this time instead of the G2 Clydesdale or Magnolia? I'm also glad the Georg didn't end up being part of a 75th Anniversary blind bag set. I only ordered one of these - crossing my fingers for the Georg. 

Sidewinder, and other stuff!

 Finally! If you're a Stablemates club member, Sidewinder is in stock and ready to ship! Check him out (again)! 

Nothing I need, but I've managed to sell mine already, so there's that. He's a pretty color, but I was never a SCO fan to start with, and then that too-short front leg...nah. 

In other news, the diorama contest prizes have been announced... and it's the glossy Bravour 54! 

I'm a bit sad that the diorama contest prize, which used to be its own model, is apparently a thing of the past, and they're replacing it with glossy celebration models instead. Like...why? They use(d) older, less-popular molds, for the most part, so...yeah, some confusion there. Oh well. 

Lastly, Washington and the Carltonlima Emma reissue are now available on Breyer's site! They can be found on Breyer's new releases page, so order away if you're so inclined! 

2022 Stablemates Club conclusion and 2023 silhouettes!

 Good news, everyone! If you're a Stablemates Club member, the final release (Kit) is available for purchase! 

And the optional model, Helios, is now available as well! 

I can't wait to see what they look like in person. Let's hope they don't take as long to ship as my three Poppy and Ollie sets, which have not moved from the warehouse since 11/25 as far as I know. 

Anyways, we also got a reveal of the silhouettes for next year's Stablemates Club! 

We saw the SCO, Sidewinder, yesterday, so that leaves the MFT, G2 Shetland Pony and G3 Cantering Warmblood as our reveals for today. I uh...am not especially excited about this lineup. Provided the gambler's choice isn't the warmblood, I may be able to get away with not even joining the club at all next year, since he's the only one I would want. I'm seeing a lot of the same sentiments online, so let's hope we get more reveals by the end of the year. Because I'd really like to know which one of these is the gambler! 

Things that were, things that are...and some things that have not yet come to pass.

 Exciting news, everyone! Lots of new things to post about today - but I'll start off with an alert for Vintage Club members: Nugget and the Dusk and Dawn set are ready to purchase! 

This is the gambler's choice release for this year's Vintage Club, so you won't know which color you're getting until you open it. In addition, the free Stablemate for this year must already be in stock, as they're shipping with the Nuggets. That's a refreshing change from the norm; usually we don't see those until January of the following year! 

The Stablemates, mini Yellow Mounts on the Stablemate SCO mold, are also randomly shipped - some with a forearm spot, and some without. This all makes me really glad I don't collect Brighty or SCO!


Dusk and Dawn are an optional purchase:

 

In recent years I would have wanted to get my hands on these, but my Marabellas went down the road quite a while ago, and my Ambers will probably be on the chopping block soon as well. They look really nice, though, so I'm a bit sad about that. 

Anyway, to move on...there are a couple of new additions to the website today! They were revealed in people's JAH magazine yesterday, but fortunately Breyer was on the ball about adding them to the website promptly. Firstly, here's Snickerdoodle:

A new release on Rhian? And without her foal?? Gasp! Must order this one as soon as it's available! I'm pretty ambivalent about Cadell, so I'm not too bothered that he isn't included with her. She looks so cute in palomino, I just wish there was a photo of her sans blanket! I love those little reindeer antlers, too. 

Lastly, here's Baltazar, this year's Winter Decorator (and Limited Edition):

Ohhh, he's pretty, but I just don't want to start a new conga. Too bad...I really like his design. But I have to save room on my shelves for other things! 

Let's hope they get Snickerdoodle and Baltazar on the website soon, because I have more ordering to do! 

Breyerfest 2021 VIP models are here!

 Greetings, everyone! I had a pleasant surprise today -  my VIP swag and some of the models showed up on my doorstep today! I hadn't gotten a shipping notice yet, so this was a welcome addition only a day after Breyerfest ended. Behold! 

I love the VIP swag, especially the...coin purse? Clutch? Used ticket holder? Well, whatever it is, it's iridescent pink/green and I love it. The pins and stickers are fun too, though I'm not really a pin person. My kids had to fight over who got to wear the visor and the sunglasses, and rainbow is TOTALLY my thing, so I'll definitely be wearing those sunglasses. And rumor has it the cup changes color with the temperature of the liquid inside, so I'll have to test that out later. I like the presentation of it too, with the fun box and all the little goodies packed inside. Great idea! 

The models are very nice as well - I love the color on Rococo, which makes me all the more sad that I'm not a fan of SCO in either size. I hope they use the color again soon. I like the color on Noveau as well, so selling him makes me a little sad as well. The blue on Dada seems a bit flat, though; I like it, but I guess I was hoping for a little more shimmer. No complaints about Avant Garde; he seems just as advertised. Dani is quite nice as well, though she'll be for sale as well; I didn't see any flaws on her in a quick once-over, which seems like quite an accomplishment given how complicated that pattern is. 

I love the satin bags as well! They complement the models' colors really nicely. Certainly a big improvement over the McDonald's boxes and blister packaging of past years. 

That's all I've got for now! The rest of the Breyerfest stuff isn't supposed to start shipping until next week, but I'm going to cross my fingers and hope they get an early start on it this week. Here's hoping! 

Stablemate Four-Pack Revealed!

 Good news, everyone - this year's Event Stablemates (formerly known as Single-Day Stablemates) have been revealed! Behold: 

So those are Darley, the shrunken Fighting Stallion, shrinkie SCO and the new Fjord Stablemate. Fun! 

From the blog: 

This year’s BreyerFest has been inspired by color, creativity, and community, and we felt there was no more inspiring way to bring that theme to life than through an exploration of the art world.  We’ve travelled back in time and across the globe learning about historic works and influential people, but for this year’s Event Stablemates models we’ve been inspired by broader strokes – art movements!

I definitely need the Darley and the Fjord for my collection! I love that purple hue with the darker legs versus the white mane, tail and feet. Nice! And the  Darley is blue - my favorite color! Gotta have it. 

I think the only reveals we have left now, other than raffle and prize models, are the Limited Edition Stablemate (formerly the pop-up tent Stablemate) and the plush. Hopefully we get to see those tomorrow!  

My Festive Filigree models are here!

 Greetings, readers! I hope everyone (in the USA, anyway) had a good Thanksgiving! It's been a slow week in the mail department for us, but my Festive Filigree Stablemates came today, at least! Check them out! 

Not the colors I was hoping for, I'll admit...but at least I was able to get them, right? And I may have already secured a trade for the gold Darwin, so that's good. 

Seeing the SCO from the off side really draws attention to how bad that left front leg looks. How the heck did it get so short? His Trad counterpart isn't nearly this bad, so I'm at a loss as to how anyone from Breyer could look at that and say, "Ship it!" Maybe they tried to fix it, and failed? Who knows. 

Anyway, yet again the blind bags are costing me more money, because now I have to pay to trade them rather than just buying the ones I want. Please stop with all the blind bags, Breyer! 

More blind bags. Yay.

 Well, you’d think after my angry rant last year, I wouldn’t fall for the blind bag garbage again, but then these happened. Ugh, more blind bags. And they’re way too expensive for those paint jobs!

But, I ordered two of them, because I have to have the Darwin and Brishen (he’ll go really well with my Aspen!). At least they qualify for free shipping if you get two of them, though I was mildly irked that they don’t also qualify for the Collector Club discount like the Halloween Stablemates did. Oh well.

I’m still deliberating about ordering more of them to increase my odds of getting the ones I want, but I don’t know if I will. If we want the blind bags to go away, we’ve gotta stop buying them, but it’s hard not to buy! Bleh.

Anyway, here's a picture of the dumb things. Hopefully I get the ones I want! Good luck to everyone who orders! And Breyer, take a hint and quit doing these! 

April Fool!

Well, as I'd hoped, the Stablemate Rugged Lark from yesterday was indeed an April Fool's joke. But fear not - we're getting another Traditional model as a Stablemate instead!



According to Breyer's Facebook page, the mini SCO (and other molds!) are coming later this year. Well, as long as they keep picking molds I don't collect...

I hope the SCO fans like the mini version, but I honestly think something went wrong with the shrinking process this time. His front end looks like it should be about 25% larger to match the back end - the front legs are way too short and his back has a noticeable downhill slant that doesn't appear to exist in the Traditional model. Methinks they need to put a little more work into this one!